TheCoffeeChick Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 At a well child check, we were told dd has a mild sounding heart murmur and needs to be scheduled for an echo. I'm freaking out, even though the doctor said not to worry. :crying: Anyone with any thoughts or experiences or whatnot would be appreciated. I don't want to google anything because I don't want to know about the one in a million chance things, just what a murmur normally means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 I have one that was caught at a well check when I was young. It was nothing! Functional murmur, they call it. :grouphug: I remember being very scared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasRachel Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 I had a dr find one in my teens. When I went back, they couldn't find it again. It seems to come and go. I've never had any problems. Hopefully, it's just something little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorMama Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Don't freak out! It's probably nothing. My dd was...5, I think? When the doctor heard a mumur (I freaked out too). We were sent to a pediatric cardiologist who was really awesome with kids and had the echo done at his office. It was totally fine. He said most heart murmurs are nothing serious. He also said that when kids are sick with a virus or something like that it can make the murmur more pronounced, which is why sometimes you'll hear one at a doctor visit that the doc never noticed before. I'm so sorry you're scared. :grouphug: It's hard, but know that she's probably totally fine! Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 Thanks everyone ... I'm feeling a bit better now. I don't know anyone IRL with a murmur. Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing, but waiting to get in to the echo is going to cause me to have a nervous breakdown! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 DS#2 had a murmur discovered while we were still in the hospital following his birth. A very tense day and a VERY expensive heart specialist later, we were told that it was the sort of murmur that is extremely common in children. Evidently there is a type of murmur that is common and generally outgrown by adulthood and does not cause any difficulty for the child at all. In fact the ped. has only twice since his birth heard the murmur during an exam of DS. Having known a few people with serious heart issues, I have never been so happy to pay so much money to a specialist for a "nothing". I hope your situation turns out to be as benign. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 My youngest was born with a VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect), a small whole in her heart. I FREAKED out because her ped heard the murmur at her first visit after she was born and referred us to a cardiologist. He wrote "probable vsd" the referral, but didn't tell me anything. :glare: The cardiologist was great and told us it would probably close on its own. It did when she was 7, though she still has an "innocent" murmur. She's never had any troubles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 We just went through this with DS2. At the pediatric cardiologist office the dr told me that people hear heart murmur and think of it as a diagnosis, with a lot of worry. He explained that a heart murmur is just an extra sound (not a diagnosis of anything) and that it is very common as we are all unique individuals with unique hearts. Then he asked if prior to the ped hearing the murmur if I had any concerns about DS2, which I did not. Do you have any concerns with your dc? Try not to worry needlessly, hopefully the cardiologist will not find anything abnormal. :grouphug: SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 we were told that it was the sort of murmur that is extremely common in children. Evidently there is a type of murmur that is common and generally outgrown by adulthood and does not cause any difficulty for the child at all. The same thing happened here with now-7yo. Nobody wants to take their 4mo baby to a cardiologist. Having the same doctor for a few years, he can tell that it's decreased, and said it was really hard to hear at her last checkup so will likely be totally gone by adulthood. She plays soccer & does gymnastics with no problem, it's just something I keep in the back of my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 My ds has a heart murmur and also had, for a time, arrhythmia. For him, the murmur is clinically insignificant and nothing to worry about. That's almost always the case with murmurs. My ds did also have to be under the care of a cardiologist for a couple years to monitor the arrhythmia. It was frightening but ended up being no big deal. They tested at intervals and that was it. After a while ds grew out of it. Naturally you are worried, but I don't think it's time to worry just yet. Most murmurs are not a big deal. Try to be matter of fact about this until after further testing. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Ds11 has a heart murmur. We had an echo and an ultrasound when he was about 5. Both came back "benign". They said he would grow out of it. I haven't asked lately if they can still hear it. I have a heart that beats weird. It beats quickly when I'm breathing in, slower when I breath out. I've had it checked out twice since I was a teenager and both times there was nothing to be worried about. (It does freak out new doctors though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 My dh has one, it's benign. So, benign, in fact, that he is a pilot in the AF :) Could be absolutely nothing - no worries :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 I don't have all the details yet, but we have to go in for a follow up with a pediatric cardiologist because of a couple concerns with the echo. If you all could please keep dd in your prayers I would appreciate it. I'm kind of freaking out right now. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 All sorts of things can cause a heart murmur. I have a tiny one most people don't ever notice (and your dd has gone 6 years so far without people noticing). Mine is because of a PFO (a hole in the heart that usually closes in infancy). There was a slight concern, from my echo, that mine was actually some letters I don't remember. I think it is when the hole is X size instead of Y. Anyway, it wasn't. The only real concern is that if I threw a blood clot, it could go the wrong way through the PFO and end up in the brain causing a stroke. Because they couldn't prove that is what happened in 2006 (and now there is much speculation that it wasn't a stroke at all), I didn't qualify to get it fixed. In other countries, if people are having certain symptoms (such as migraines), they can get it fixed. That is not the case in the US (or wasn't in 2006). I actually have heard that it is fixable more recently. I don't know. Considering it isn't giving me any issues, I think I'd prefer not to worry about the patch surgery. Anyway, so how is that for MILD? :) I'll hope your dd's issue is that mild or even more mild :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 My son was diagnosed with the same thing at that age. It turned out it was just because he is pretty thin, so you could hear the blood swishing more than on a child of normal stature. He had the echo and it was totally normal. Oh, and he grew out of the murmur in about a year. It was what they call an innocent murmur, which are really common in kids. As a vet tech I knew innocent murmurs in puppies worked the same way, but I still freaked out. We had to wait weeks to get the echo and I was a basket case. Oh, and at a recent appt my daughter had a murmur...again she is thin. By the next well visit it was gone. Good luck1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I don't have all the details yet, but we have to go in for a follow up with a pediatric cardiologist because of a couple concerns with the echo. If you all could please keep dd in your prayers I would appreciate it. I'm kind of freaking out right now. :crying: I understand your fear. I hope I can help--it may still be just fine, truly. We had a similar experience. My dr sent us to a ped cardiologist for concerns with ds' heart. The first cardiologist referred us to a second cardiologist at a different hospital--that was REALLY scary. However, the reason for the referral was simply that with how the second cardiologist specialized. My ds' murmur was/is clinically insignificant, and his arrhythmia was not that bad. They never had to treat his condition. Ds just had to avoid stimulants (caffeine, certain medications) and have testing periodically. That's it. In the long run, it was no big deal. Ds outgrew his very mild condition and was released from the cardiologist's oversight when he was 5yo. I know how frightening this is and will hold you in prayer. I hope your ds' condition is as easy as my ds'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) The doc discovered my ds had a murmur when he was 3. We went in for an ultrasound and it turned out to be a slight murmur that went away by the time he was 4. I know it sounds scary. But from what my doc said, murmurs are very common. And most never require any kind of treatment. :grouphug: edited: I just read your follow up post. I will keep her in my prayers. My suggestion is to call the doc back. Tell him/her how worried you are and ask for a few more details. Information always helps my anxiety over health issues. Edited January 5, 2012 by Alyeska Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I don't have all the details yet, but we have to go in for a follow up with a pediatric cardiologist because of a couple concerns with the echo. If you all could please keep dd in your prayers I would appreciate it. I'm kind of freaking out right now. :crying: Let me tell you a story about a mom who child was diagnosised with a heart murmur and how the regular doc that the time told me he was very concerned about the echo. They bring in a pediatric cardiologist who looked at me and wanted to know why he was here for a possible surgery consult. He said never take any thoughts on heart echos from a doctor who was not a heart specialist. My child had a typical child heart murmur that disappeared in a year. My point is don't worry until you the cardiologist himself tells you to worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'm currently sitting in the waiting room of a cardiologist, waiting to get an echo done for the exact same reason. My doc found a loud murmur and said it is probably a functional (innocent) murmur. I think I read that like 80% of kids have one at some point or another. I really think your dc is probably just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 We started out at the Pediatric cardiologist (after our regular ped). That's pretty standard practice. Ugh. Why do they have to scare us?! We do a perfect job freaking ourselves out without their help. Hang in there. When do you see the ped. cardiologist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) Praying for your son!!! But I would like to tell you that my dad had a heart murmur all his life, and lived to be 83 years old -- and he never had the slightest heart problem, ever! Of course, there were a few doctors who heard the murmur and made a huge deal out of it, but it always turned out to be absolutely nothing. I think it's wise that your son is being thoroughly checked out, but mostly for your own peace of mind, not because I think it's going to be anything to worry about. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: PS. I would be a nervous wreck, too -- even if I thought it was probably nothing, so I know how you're feeling. Edited January 5, 2012 by Catwoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thank you everyone for your prayers and reassurance. The person who called me to set up the appointment with the cardiologist did read off the concerns from the paper she had, but she actually sounded like she had no idea what she was even reading and I didn't write it down fast enough. One of the items though was a minor atrial septal defect -- and like a idiot, I googled it. :glare: Bad idea. You can imagine why I'm freaking. But at the end of her reading it, she said it listed the reading as normal and that her pediatrician just wants a follow up with the cardiologist to make sure it is okay. So this sounds like good news, but I can't tell. I asked her to mail me the results. I'm also upset because we can't get into the follow-up until Feb. 22! This will be me for the next month and a half: :willy_nilly: My point is don't worry until you the cardiologist himself tells you to worry. This is exactly what my dh said. It still doesn't stop the tears. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 At a well child check, we were told dd has a mild sounding heart murmur and needs to be scheduled for an echo. I'm freaking out, even though the doctor said not to worry. :crying: Anyone with any thoughts or experiences or whatnot would be appreciated. I don't want to google anything because I don't want to know about the one in a million chance things, just what a murmur normally means. My daughter had one in childhood. It disappeared on its own. They often do. Don't worry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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